Family Counselling Service

The VAHS Family Counselling Service provides culturally safe social emotional wellbeing and mental health counselling, cultural healing and recovery programs, care coordination and outreach support.

The Family Counselling Service is located at the VAHS Preston site and provides services across four main program areas – Adult Social Emotional Wellbeing, Koori Kids, Financial Wellbeing and the Ice Pilot Program.

To make a referral to the Family Counselling Service, please complete the referral form and fax it to (03) 9403 3399.

Click here to access the referral form in pdf  or referral form in Word Format.

For more information, please call Family Counselling Service on (03) 9419 3000 (option 6)

Adult Social Emotional Wellbeing

The Adult Social Emotional Wellbeing team is a multi-disciplinary team which provides support to Aboriginal people with mental health and social emotional wellbeing needs.

Services provided include:

  • Access to counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists
  • Drug and Alcohol Counselling
  • Detox support and access to treatment
  • Outreach Support including the Wadamba Wilam program
  • Specialist counselling services including sexual assault counsellor (CASA)
  • Access to a GP, psychiatrists, mental health nurse, sexual health and BBV nurse

For more information call reception on (03) 9419 3000 (option 6).

To make a referral, please fax a copy of our referral form to (03) 9403 3399 or call the Central Intake worker on (03) 9403 3308.

Koori Kids

The Koori Kids team provides holistic and culturally appropriate mental health services for Aboriginal children, adolescents and their families. The Koori Kids team sees children and families for a range of issues including school issues, behavioural problems, depression and anxiety, stress and trauma and any other issues families are concerned about.

Clinical and therapeutic services provided by Koori Kids include:

  • Cognitive, language, developmental and behavioural assessments
  • Family Therapy, speech therapy , play therapy and access to psychiatric treatment
  • Advocacy for clients to other agencies or services to support social emotional wellbeing including schools and parenting programs
  • Access to a pediatrician specializing in adolescent health
  • Speech Pathology
  • Youth Justice Support

For more information call reception on (03) 9419 3000 (option 6).

To make a referral to Koori Kids please fax a copy of our Referral Form to (03) 9403 3399.

Financial Wellbeing

The Financial Wellbeing team at The Family Counselling Service promote financial wellbeing by providing services and assistance including financial counselling, advocacy, problem gambling counselling, access to housing services, and social support including emergency relief.

The program works collaboratively across all VAHS programs and receives client referrals from external Aboriginal and mainstream organisations.

Aboriginal Metropolitan Ice Partnership – Pilot

We are pleased to announce a new initiative in Metropolitan Melbourne that aims to increase access to services and support in addressing the prevalent Ice related issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families and the community. The Aboriginal Metropolitan Ice Partnership initiative is an 18 month pilot project that reflects a new partnership approach between VAHS, Odyssey House and Uniting Care ReGen in the North West Metropolitan Melbourne, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency, Ringwood and Eastern Health, Ringwood for Eastern Melbourne and Ngwala Willumbong and Monash Health for Southern Melbourne. VAHS is working with all agencies to provide a coordinated approach towards care and recovery for users and families.

This exciting initiative will focus on assertive outreach, alcohol and drug support and clinical interventions as well as better access to alcohol and drug services for Aboriginal people and families with ice and other alcohol and drug issues. For more information about this Pilot, please contact VAHS Family Counselling Service on (03) 9419 3000 (option 6). If you or a loved one needs support and information about Ice, please contact the Ice Help Line on 1800 423 238. This service is operational and available 24/7.